Graduation Speech College Entrance Exams - 1804 Words

Students in East Asia face many issues regarding college entrance exams. They spend many years preparing for them, and deal with a lot of pressure from parents and society to pass these exams and become successful. This exam decides what type of future these students will have. Many students usually pass, but the one who do not have a lot of work to do. Some prepare to take it again but the chances are very low, and they need to have a backup plan to satisfy their families, society, and, of course, themselves. Preparing for these exams can cause students to cheat, become depressed, and even commit suicide. These entrance exams can be a good idea to use in the Dominican Republic, however, the Dominican government has to prepare this†¦show more content†¦For example, â€Å"more than 1,000 students between the ages of 10 and 19 killed themselves from 2000 to 2003.† In fact, a lot of students there (both primary and secondary) have committed suicide since 2009. A lot of emotions bottle up, and since parents pressure their children to do well on these exams, these children become nervous about their preparation for their future. Most Koreans believe that public education is not enough for their child to succeed academically. South Korea has â€Å"cram schools† and coaching classes for those who want to succeed on the exams; similar to taking classes to prepare for the SATs in the United States. In this case, their preparation exam is called the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT). Their test is similar to the SAT in America except that some sections are in Korean, and the other sections are in English or another second language. A lot of students tend to cheat on these exams using their cellphones and text message the answers to other test takers. It is a huge problem in South Korea’s society, but fortunately metal detectors are set up so this does not happen so often. Japan has placed a high value on education for many years. Despi te its rough history and the vast changes to its educational system over the years, the importance of education has remained stable. An academic article, â€Å"Academic Pressure and Impact on Japanese Students†, discusses the type of

Effectiveness Of The Legal System Of Protecting Consumer...

‘Assess the effectiveness of the legal system in protecting consumer rights’ I INTRODUCTION In regards to assessing the effectiveness of the Australian legal system in protecting consumer rights there are a number of areas, which must be critically examined. A clear understanding of the definition of consumer rights is a critical component to this analysis, as this will determine which areas of the legal system are in scope, relevant and need to be included in this assessment. In order to comprehensively assess the effectiveness of the legal system in regard to protecting consumer rights, both positive aspects and areas, which require improvement both need to be considered. The essay will firstly explore what is clearly working within the system in support of protecting consumer rights. The ACL will be looked at in detail with a focus on product safety as an example. The second part of the essay will focus on the current gaps that exist in the legal system in which is impacting the consumer. The essay will then conclude with a summary statement to wrap up all assertions made throughout the piece. II HOW DOES THE LEGAL SYSTEM PROTECT CONSUMER RIGHTS? A. What is a consumer right? In order to complete a fair assessment of the legal system in protecting consumer rights, the definition of consumer rights must be clarified. In s3 (1) and (2) of the ACL the meaning of consumer is set out. A consumer is a person taken to have acquired particular goods or services PersonalShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of International Business On Business Environment Essay1633 Words   |  7 Pagesincluding as culture, labour and environmental standards, foreign exchange and political, economic and legal systems. The main reason for why there is such a significant difference between the two types of business is due to the increased risk associated with international business. 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Mendus unconditional love Free Essays

â€Å"l promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you. † That is a line from a traditional wedding vow that two people who love each other say on their wedding day. Susan Emends believes that a marriage vow Is â€Å"a present intention to do something permanently, where that is distinct from having a permanent intention. We will write a custom essay sample on Mendus unconditional love or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (Emends, p. 238) Emends believes that marriage vows are unconditional, she doesn’t think that marriage Is unconditional however. She doesn’t think marriage is unconditional because It can end In divorce. People say they fall out of love, cheat, or think their significant other changed. Emends says that If you think that a person has changed and that makes you â€Å"fall out of love† then you never truly loved them. She also thinks that once you make the commitment In marriage vows, you should remain married even If you feel Like you fell out of love. One reason that Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional Is because there Is no time limit on it. When you get married you do not decide that after so many ears you are going to get divorced, instead you plan to be happily in love for the rest of your lives. Throughout our lives we change and mature and because of the vow you made to be together forever, there will be change. If your significant other changes you should remain married because you love each other. Another reason Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional is because you do not make â€Å"terms and conditions†. When you marry someone and promise to love and honor you do not say â€Å"so long as you don’t.. (Emends, p. 238) When you love someone you love them for who they are, you wouldn’t tell them â€Å"l will love you if you.. – If there were conditions then we would not be able to distinguish the difference between â€Å"respect or admiration for the principles of another and the sort of unconditional commitment to him which the marriage vow involves. (Emends, p. 238) Loving someone is an honorable and cherish able thing. When you love someone you just want to spend time with them and not tell them who to be. If there s any question whether you love your significant other or like characteristics about then you will begin to make conditions and if that h appens you should not marry one another. Emends unconditional love By Madison each other say on their wedding day. Susan Emends believes that a marriage vow is vows are unconditional, she doesn’t think that marriage is unconditional however. She doesn’t think marriage is unconditional because it can end in divorce. People say if you think that a person has changed and that makes you â€Å"fall out of love† then you ever truly loved them. She also thinks that once you make the commitment in marriage vows, you should remain married even if you feel like you fell out of love. One reason that Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional is because there is no time limit on it. When you get married you do not decide that after so many you.. † If there were conditions then we would not be able to distinguish the someone you Just want to spend time with them and not tell them who to be. If there How to cite Mendus unconditional love, Papers

Epidemiology Complications in Pregnancy

Question: Describe about the Epidemiology for Complications in Pregnancy. Answer: Evidence presented in the paper selected The research is on the Danish national based register study on the obstetric condition on risk of admission with schizophrenia. The research study by Byrne et al., (2007) proposed that complications in pregnancy are associated with increased risk of schizophrenia. This fact is also supported by Nordentoft et al., (2015) who showed that delay in sampling of blood for neonatal screening increased risk of schizophrenia. The researcher analyzes genetic and environmental exposure to schizophrenia to identify its risk with obstetric condition. The exposure or intervention in the study was presence of obstetric condition and the outcome was diagnosis of schizophrenia in patients. Byrne et al., (2007) conducted a nested case control study to evaluate range of obstetric events that lead to schizophrenia as obtained from the records of Danish register. The sample consisted of subset on control patients and those diagnosed with ICD-8 or ICD schizophrenia. The case population consisted of patients above 15 years who had first contacted Danish psychiatric facility after the diagnosis of ICD-8 schizophrenia and also had maternal identity. Among 1039 patients with schizophrenia, 97.5% were diagnosed according to ICD-10 and remaining as ICD-8. The control population comprised of randomly selected control who had same year of birth, same sex and those who had never been admitted to psychiatric clinic in Denmark. The exposure found in the study was related to lack of monitoring during antenatal appointments, gestation age of 37 weeks, maternal influenza, premature delivery. The patients were also exposed to risk of schizophrenia due to hemorrhage during delivery of baby or when delivery takes place by the manual extraction of the baby. The findings of the study showed the relation between exposure and outcome of schizophrenia. The researcher had stated that family psychiatric history, socioeconomic and demographic factors also play a role in risk of schizophrenia apart from other obstetric condition. The findings of the research showed that patients psychiatric history and obstetric factors do not interact with each other. However, modest association of outcome was also linked to exposures or presence of conditions like maternal infection, hypoxia, prematurity and behavior of maternal mother. Non-causal explanation for observed association between the exposure and the outcome There can be non-causal explanation too for the association between exposure and the outcome. The analysis of different literature in the study showed that the exposure and outcome is linked not only due to obstetric condition but also due to environmental mediators and genetic predisposition (Forsyth et al., 2013). The analysis of research by Byrne et al., (2007) mainly gives causal explanation of association between exposure and outcome. This was explained by obstetric variables like manual extraction, low birth weight, small gestation period and pattern of previous pregnancies. However, it is necessary to identify the non-causal explanation for the relation between exposure and outcome of epidemiological study. Firstly, there is chance that the result might be affected by selection or measurement bias as the research relied on record of Danish based register. The sample population was also selected on the basis of mixture of diagnoses of ICD-8 and ICD-10. Including both type of disease classification system may also contribute to limitations in the result. Hence due to error in selection criteria, it is possible that the results of the association between obstetric condition and schizophrenia may not be reliable results for all generalized population with schizophrenia. This kind of weakness in selection of sample in research might lead to misleading results. Low statistical precision might also be the reason for this association. Standardization of research with consideration of general population would help to enhance the credibility of the research findings (Ioannidis et al., 2014). The result is also affected by confounding factors. This is because the research by Byrne et al., (2007) mainly analyzed the data related to obstetric condition, psychiatric history and demographics details. However, considering gene-environment interaction is also important to understand the risk factors of schizophrenia. This kind of risk operates prenatally and perinatally and then proceeds to the progression of the disease. There are many evidence of risk to schizophrenia due to hypoxia, fetal retardation, drug abuse and migration (Kimberlie Dean, 2005). Byrne et al. had taken an epidemiologist perspective to carry out the research, however, it was necessary to combine the clued of genetics as well as epidemiology to optimize the research on schizophrenia. This identification of shared pathway is essential to get the true picture of association between outcome and exposure. Byrne et al., (2007) had conducted a nested case control study by getting access to national register to st udy the risk factors of obstetric condition. However, the research has not been strengthened by avoidance of selection bias and considering multiple confounders in the etiology of schizophrenia. The research could have considered genetic data such as heritability factor and the recurrence of certain disorder within the family (McGrath et al., 2013). The results of the study investigating the association between exposure and outcome of schizophrenia in the study might also be affected by chance variation. Sampling is one of the most critical phase of research by which an appropriate population relevant to the study is selected. Non-representative sample might reduce the credibility of the research. There might be uncontrolled factors that might have affected the response of population (Gallo et al., 2012). Instead of analyzing the risk factors according to national register, it would have been feasible to carry out investigation into current patients in a clinical setting. In the current literature by Byrne et al., (2007), some of the information on obstetric condition was not found for all patients. However, the researcher took steps to avoid chance variation in some of the national register data. For example, variables which hardly contributed to the research were eliminated and this was determined statistically by log likeliho od ratio test of the eliminated variables. By this approach, negligible variables were removed from the models. Evidence of causal association between the exposure and the outcome On analysis of result of the research by Byrne et al., (2007), univariate estimation highlighted the association of exposures such as prematurity, low birth weight and small gestation period with outcome (increased risk of schizophrenia). For some variables, temporal relationship between exposure and outcome was found, while in some case strong relation between exposure and outcome was found. For examples exposures like birth weight and small gestation age was not found to be associated with outcome. On the other hand, consideration of background factors showed that manual extraction and gestation age of less than 37 weeks had a strong association with outcome of schizophrenia risk. However the result was not clear for association between 40 weeks of pregnancy and risk of schizophrenia. The results of association between small gestation age and risk of schizophrenia are consistent as this is also seen in the study by (Takayanagi et al., 2014). They calculated hazard ratio of small fo r gestation age (SGA) for schizophrenia disorder and they also adjusted the possibility of confounding variables in the topic. In a case controlled study of patients with no schizophrenia spectrum disorder and those with past history of the disorder, it was found that there is strong relation between exposure and outcome and the association between SGA and risk of schizophrenia remained significant. Hence, there may be common and specific causative pathways for diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (Takayanagi et al., 2014). The above association between exposure and outcome was for the period between 1973-1983. The consistency across the year for gestation was determined by the gestation age of greater than 40 weeks. For the period of 1978-1983, greater association between manual extraction and risk of schizophrenia was found. Other remaining variables (like provoked abortion, pregnancy complication such pregnancy influenza and neo and post-natal factors) were analyzed by adjusting the multivariate model. The retained variable in the model included risk factors like past antenatal visits, maternal influenza, maternal anemia, hemorrhage during pregnancy and threatened. These exposures were associated high incidence ratio of schizophrenia (outcome) (Byrne et al., 2007). The interaction between obstetric condition, sex and psychiatric history has also been analyzed by the researcher. No significant interaction was found between interactions of sex with the psychotic disorder. As the research was conducted with large sets of data from national register, Byrne et al., (2007) stratified the results considering family psychiatric history. According to socioeconomic and demographic factors, the only link with the risk of schizophrenia was related to one or more previous case of pregnancy, forceps delivery and vacuum extraction. Hence the results finding was consistent with similar studies in the area which reported about association between pregnancy complication and risk factors of schizophrenia. The consistency of finding was maintained by stating about all those factors which do not lead to risk of disease such as parental age, place of birth, citizenship and parent socioeconomic factors. This became possible by means of interpreting sample with odd ra tio estimates and incidence rate ratio (IRR) between control sample and case sample. The Danish national based register had a range of obstetric factors variables, however those variable were selected which were statistically significant and which has incidence rate ratio of greater than 2. As the data size was very large, the complexity in analysis was minimized by breaking the data and dividing it into data calculated for different stages. Consistence of findings with other evidence The findings were found to be consistent with other studies. Comparison with similar studies helped in understanding the reliability of the result. A similar national based cohort study similar to Byrne et al., (2007) was conducted by Eide et al., (2013) who investigated the association of fetal growth restriction with risk of schizophrenia. The researcher conducted this study as there was no direct research on the topic in previous literature. The focus was mainly on evaluating the degree of growth restriction and other complications such as pre-eclampsia and placental dysfunction. It was also conducted in the same period as in the evaluation literature from the data contained in Medical Birth Registry of Norway. Growth restriction is assessed using statistical tools like standard deviation for variables like birth weight for gestation age and length of birth. They used strictly defined criteria to adjust confounders and evaluate cased of maternal pre-eclampsia. The data analysis wa s also similar to the literature by Byrne et al., (2007). It was found that risk of schizophrenia increased with decrease in gestation age and birth length. Hence significant association between schizophrenia and degree of growth restriction was similar to the association between age of gestation and risk of schizophrenia. Hence, the research gives future implications etiology of schizophrenia (Eide et al., 2013). Byrne et al., (2007) gave insight into the association of risk of schizophrenia with three or previous case of emergencies pregnancy apart from other obstetric complications. Similarly, the study (Srensen et al., 2015) investigated two different case definitions of schizophrenia in a similar register based research. It compared two kinds of exposures to analyze the outcome of schizophrenia-one was the influence of one time contact with the disease and other was the two or more time contact with schizophrenia. Higher risk estimates were found for two or more contacts and gave the implication that selecting two or more case definition will lead to accurate estimation of risk factors. However, this would depend on selection of genetic study based research. One limitation of the Danish register based study of risk factor of schizophrenia was that the result just only linked the disease with obstetric risk factors and socioeconomic risk factors; however the result did not give indication of biological mechanism in epidemiological studies. This factor was present in the study by Rapoport et al., (2012) where the researcher showed the neurodevelopmental mechanism of schizophrenia. The neurodevelopmental model states that schizophrenia is the final stage of abnormal neurodevelopmental mechanism and the onset of the neuropsychiatric disorder occurs much earlier than the diagnosis of illness. It suggested that prenatal risk to schizophrenia can be determined placental pathology. Current studies revealed genetic variants related to schizophrenia. Apart from obstetric condition, the studies also linked the risk of the disorder with autism and other intellectual deficiencies. Brain imaging studies and gene expression studies is also giving new a dvancements in the etiology of schizophrenia and the research is going on the phenotypic characterization behind the development of schizophrenia. External validity of findings To understand the credibility of a research finding, it is necessary that the elements of research can be generalized for all kinds of population instead of just case population in the research. In the analysis of the results of the Danish register based study, it was seen that presence of risk factor was identified through hospital discharge diagnosis data in national register. There is limitation in this approach to investigating the risk factor of schizophrenia. This is because this may represent limited number of actual population which might give conflicting results. Besides the data were analyzed in the period between 1978-1983, therefore the etiology of this disease might have changes with change in environmental factors after many transformations from the past till now. The research was based clinical diagnoses in clinical setting instead of analyzing the risk in general population or in epidemic area. This is understood by the explanation by the researcher that exposure to i nfluenza is associated with outcome of disease. However, in other studies exposure to influenza was determined after assessment in generalized population. This study highlighted that prenatal exposure to influenza are associated with risk of schizophrenia after the result was obtained from biomarker assays in birth cohort studies. This research study gave the recommendation that if public health intervention is targeted at reducing exposure to neonatal infection, then cases of schizophrenia can be prevented (Brown, 2012). Due to the above mentioned limitation, the conclusion from the research cannot be applied to other relevant population. This is because the research study gave detail only on the infection present in hospital setting or during complications in pregnancy. However, it cannot be denied that risk factors are present across the entire lifespan of an individual due to several other biological and environmental mechanisms. Epidemiology studies first initiate with the prevalence of the disease within a specific population and then move to focused studies on determinants of disease (Fletcher et al., 2012). This literature review article was mainly a focused study to determine the association between risk and exposure. This research gave idea on the incidence rate of disease after analysis of data obtained from Danish national register. Hence for the application of the research to a generalized population, it is necessary that incidence rate is calculated for new case of disorder in a defined population instead of just relying on population of clinical setting. Hence despite some in study, the researcher was successful in proving the association of obstetric condition with risk of schizophrenia. In future, it may also help in understanding the psychiatric morbidity of children. It will contribute to new advancements in the understanding the role of prenatal phase in the diagnosis of schizophrenia. This will lead to effective monitoring of pregnancy and giving special care to pregnant women with psychiatric disorder (Suvisaari et al., 2013). Reference Brown, A. S. (2012). Epidemiologic studies of exposure to prenatal infection and risk of schizophrenia and autism.Developmental neurobiology,72(10), 1272-1276. Byrne, M., Agerbo, E., Bennedsen, B., Eaton, W. W., Mortensen, P. B. (2007). Obstetric conditions and risk of first admission with schizophrenia: a Danish national register based study.Schizophrenia research,97(1), 51-59. Eide, M. G., Moster, D., Irgens, L. M., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., Stoltenberg, C., Skjaerven, R., ... Abel, K. (2013). Degree of fetal growth restriction associated with schizophrenia risk in a national cohort.Psychological medicine,43(10), 2057-2066. Fletcher, R. H., Fletcher, S. W., Fletcher, G. S. (2012).Clinical epidemiology: the essentials. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Forsyth, J. K., Ellman, L. M., Tanskanen, A., Mustonen, U., Huttunen, M. O., Suvisaari, J., Cannon, T. D. (2013). Genetic risk for schizophrenia, obstetric complications, and adolescent school outcome: evidence for gene-environment interaction.Schizophrenia bulletin,39(5), 1067-1076. Gallo, V., Egger, M., McCormack, V., Farmer, P. B., Ioannidis, J., Kirsch?Volders, M., ... Vermeulen, R. (2012). STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in EpidemiologyMolecular Epidemiology (STROBE?ME): An extension of the STROBE statement.European journal of clinical investigation,42(1), 1-16. Ioannidis, J. P., Greenland, S., Hlatky, M. A., Khoury, M. J., Macleod, M. R., Moher, D., ... Tibshirani, R. (2014). Increasing value and reducing waste in research design, conduct, and analysis.The Lancet,383(9912), 166-175. Kimberlie Dean, R. (2005). Environmental risk factors for psychosis.Dialogues In Clinical Neuroscience,7(1), 69. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181718/ McGrath, J. J., Mortensen, P. B., Visscher, P. M., Wray, N. R. (2013). Where GWAS and epidemiology meet: opportunities for the simultaneous study of genetic and environmental risk factors in schizophrenia.Schizophrenia bulletin, sbt108. Nordentoft, M., Larsen, J. T., Pedersen, C. B., Srensen, H. J., Hollegaard, M. V., Hougaard, D. M., ... Petersen, L. (2015). Delay in blood sampling for routine newborn screening is associated with increased risk of schizophrenia.Schizophrenia research,162(1), 90-96. Rapoport, J. L., Giedd, J. N., Gogtay, N. (2012). Neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia: update 2012.Molecular psychiatry,17(12), 1228-1238. Srensen, H. J., Larsen, J. T., Mors, O., Nordentoft, M., Mortensen, P. B., Petersen, L. (2015). Analysis of risk factors for schizophrenia with two different case definitions: A nationwide register-based external validation study.Schizophrenia research,162(1), 74-78. Suvisaari, J. M., Taxell-Lassas, V., Pankakoski, M., Haukka, J. K., Lnnqvist, J. K., Hkkinen, L. T. (2013). Obstetric complications as risk factors for schizophrenia spectrum psychoses in offspring of mothers with psychotic disorder.Schizophrenia bulletin,39(5), 1056-1066. Takayanagi, Y., Petersen, L., Laursen, T., Cascella, N., Sawa, A., Mortensen, P. B., Eaton, W. (2014). Poster# S128 RISK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SPECTRUM AND AFFECTIVE DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE BIRTH AND HEIGHT IN ADULTHOOD.Schizophrenia Research,153, S135.

Philosophy Of Language Essays - Formal Sciences, Philosophical Logic

Philosophy Of Language Throughout its history mankind has wondered about his place in the universe. In fact, second only to the existence of God, this subject is the most frequent topic of philosophical analysis. However, these two questions are very similar, to the point that in some philosophical analyses the questions are synonymous. In these particular philosophies, God takes the form of the universe itself or, more accurately, the structure and function of the universe. In any case, rather than conjecturing that God is some omnipotent being, supporters of this philosophy expound upon another attribute habitually associated with the Man Upstairs: His omniscience. That particular word, omniscience, is broken down to semantic components and taken literally: science is the pursuit of knowledge, and God is the possession of all knowledge. This interpretation seems very rigorous but has some unfortunate side effects, one of them being that any pursuit of knowledge is in fact a pursuit to become as God or be a god (lower case "g"). To avoid this drawback, philosophers frequently say that God is more accurately described as the knowledge itself, rather than the custody of it. According to this model, knowledge is the language of the nature, the"pure language" that defines the structure and function of the universe. There are many benefits to this approach. Most superficially, classifying the structure and function of the universe as a language allows us to apply lingual analysis to the philosophy of God. The benefits, however, go beyond the superficial. This subtle modification makes the pursuit of knowledge a function of its usage rather than its pos-session, implying that one who has knowledge sees the universe in its naked truth. Knowledge becomes a form of enlightenment, and the search for it becomes more admirable than narcissistic. Another fortunate by-product of this interpretation is its universal applicability: all forms of knowledge short of totality are on the way to becoming spiritually fit. This model of the spiritual universe is in frequent use today because it not only gives legitimacy to science, but it exalts it to the most high. The pedantic becomes the cream of the societal crop and scientists become holy men. It's completely consistent with the belief that mans ability to attain knowledge promotes him over every other species on Earth, and it sanctions the stratification of a society based on scholarship, a mold that has been in use for some time. Now that we've defined the structure and function of the universe as knowledge, we must now further analyze our definition by analyzing knowledge itself. If the society is stratified by knowledge, there must be some competent way of measuring the quantity of knowledge an individual possesses, which means one must have a very articulate and rigorous notion of knowledge. At first glance, one would think that knowledge was simply the understanding of the universe through the possession of facts about it. This understanding creates problems, however, because it now becomes necessary to stratify knowledge, to say that this bit of information is inherently "better" than that one. This question was first answered using utility as a metric, but it became obsolete because utility is too relative. A new, more practical answer was eventually found: rather than measuring knowledge, we should measure intellect, the ability to attain knowledge. Even though this has the same problem of stratification, it's overlooked because philosophers believe that they know the best way to pursue knowledge. To them, the language of complete understanding is logical inference. If one can state a set of facts in the simplistic linear progression of statements using logical connectors, the information is in its most readily understandable form. The philosophers used this convention to rigorize mathe-matics, the rigorization process became associated with it, and logic suddenly became mathematical logic. The name stuck, as people refer to the process by that name to this day. The previous analytic development is the essence of the modern understanding of the natural universe. It starts from the fundamental belief in a deity and transforms it into this mathematical logic, a system of communication that according to our summation minimizes the number of justifiable interpretations, therefore standardizing the universe. There are some limitations to this approach, however. The rationale is, by its very nature, a logical development: it constructs a functional model of the pure language that is con-sistent (i.e., free of contradiction). Therefore, the pure language inherits any limitations of logic by definition?in other words, it assumes that the pure language is (a subset of) logic. Secondly, even though it's very rigorous in its approach, it

Juvenile Death penalty essays

Juvenile Death penalty essays Are Juveniles too young and underdeveloped physically and mentally to be sentenced to death for the murders they commit? Or do they really know what the thoughts are going through their head and the consequences for the actions they take regarding the thoughts they are thinking? Could it be the genes they were born with made them commit the crimes, or it was that they grew up in poverty and had no other choice but to become criminals? With all these reasons and excuses should they still be sentenced to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors under the age of 18, and in some states 21 years of age? Thirty-nine out of the fifty states in America authorize the death penalty, out of those thirty-eight only twenty-three allow offenders who commit murder under the age of eighteen be sentenced to the death penalty. The minimum age for the death penalty varies from state to state. Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia all have a minimum age of sixteen to be sentenced to death. The states with the minimum age of seventeen are Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas. In Connecticut, New York and North Carolina all offenders sixteen years of age and older are tried as adults. All suspects seventeen years of age and above are tried as adults in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. (DPIC) The first known execution of a juvenile was Thomas Graunger, from Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts back in 1642. A total of 365 people have been executed for juvenile crimes since 1642, 20,000 Americans have been executed since 1608. Only twenty-two of those executions have been made after the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. In the 1990s the annual rate went to a consistent 2-3 percent of all sentences, despite the dramatic in...

Poetry analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Poetry analysis - Essay Example The use of repetition of words all through the poem such as "civil", bring in alliteration to the following or next. Shakespeare chooses to use the repetition of a certain sound in the subsequent line, generating alliteration. Alliteration in the line 5 is not just the repetition of the letter f sound but of bold words. A line filled with harsh sounding fs as well as words of rivalry are pushed up alongside line 6 and appear to be more unhappy than harsh which inform the audience of the expected death of the lovers that were at first believed to be enemy. Lastly, enjambment in the poem embraces the character of the play being clash and the violence paralleling with love as well as predictable disaster. Form as well as content is important aspects in any text as the combination of all inevitably produce the last meaning of the content. Meaning cannot be consequential if there is no substance in which to support a story on and a sequence of literary method for instance those present in the poem of Romeo and Juliet, place a prominence on this content for it to convey the basic idea that Shakespeare is giving out to the

Religion and Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion and Ecology - Essay Example Finally, I will explore human nature and destiny as part of the natural world and how our actions and religions are important in development. Religion has almost certainly shaped our understanding of and our conduct towards nature and vice versa. For example, Judaism (one of the oldest religions), nature is presented as being something that â€Å"God created†1. Another ancient religion, Hinduism, has special Gods dedicated towards the worship of nature2, which suggest that nature is needing explain by the use of Gods and spirituality. Many of the tribal religions are based around nature-worship and a special symbiosis with environment3. Most religions state that there is a special relationship between man, nature and a spiritual being and that nature is something that need taking care of by man. This much is true. However, looking at state of world and impending environmental crisis, it not clear whether this encouragement to bond with nature by religion has had enough of an effect. Many people also feel that religion encourages people to think that they are better than other species or that humans are not part of the natural world. In Judaism, God has created man in his image4 suggesting that God has created a special place in the world for man. Man is more like God than the other creatures. However, in religious environmentalism we see that newer spiritual and religious movements are encouraging human race to see themselves as part of the environment and to take care of it like they would care for their own home5. Interestingly, the nature is a finite resource and seeing humans as part of that resource could help to encourage us to see ourselves within nature and to help us maintain it like religions so often encourage. Religions also help ask and answer the question â€Å"what is the place of humans in the non-human natural world?† There are two clear schools of thought. One, common in the

BIM (BUILDING Information Modeling ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BIM (BUILDING Information Modeling ) - Essay Example The two kinds of BIM software are authoring software and coordination software (Solibri, n.p). BIM process involves building design that require collaboration through computer models and not disjoints drawing sets. Through the use of BIM, digital representations of buildings are made available and used for decision making, first class production of construction documents, building planning, and predictions of performance and cost estimates (Solibri, n.p). BIM is employed in modeling and not drawing (Solibri, n.p). Modeling permits the designers to see the building and its parts from numerous angles. In addition, clash detection in the design phase allows designers to identify faults and correct them prior to commencement the building (McNell, 9). Early errors detection implies that costs involved in on-site correction are eliminated. Coordination is emphasized and facilitated by BIM through the use of a data repository where team members easily access information to confirm questiona ble aspects like building elements’ compatibility with the rest of the building. Through BIM cloud, BIM models by different team members can easily be viewed and edited and the consequences of each action made accessible to all model users (McNell 9). BIM is used to provide precise inclusion and modeling of prices and upgrading of bids and project pricing accuracy. Through the visualization designs, clients can verify design intention and sharedknowledge through virtual design and construction then strengthens client’s satisfaction. 2.0. BIM management Although BIM reinforces construction team members’ collaboration through the use of a shared information database to create a virtual model, there is heated debate over the management of BIM (AUGI, n.p). The ownership of BIM is left to DDC or the department of Design and construction. The model ownership is extended to include all inventions, designs, ideas, and methods contained inside the model. DDC reveals that peripheral users like contractors and consultants are only granted short lived use of BIM which terminates with the completion of the project and all copies of BIM copies have to be returned to DDC (AUGI, n.p). Basically, the project models contained in BIM from pre-conception to completion belong to DDC while project team owns just the idea. BIM teams include architects, designers, engineers and contractors and owners. The owner submits his or her request for service to the architect (AUGI, n.p). The architect then validates the request before designing the building. The architect provides the engineer with the building model and the engineer then uses computer aided design 3D visualization and modeling through Revit and creates 3D design or imports ordinary 2D drawings that have 3D information to establish perfect renderings from 3D (McNell, 15). Using BIM, designers investigate substitute notions; carry out value engineering and come up with finest designs. The contractors then revise the documented construction before commencement of physical construction. From the model, project owners are then involved in project aspects since they gain immediate and vast information which is formatted to satisfy their needs. 3.0. BIM practice BIM process involves four main stages which are design, build, operation and maintenance. The BIM model life cycle begins with the request from the owners. At first, the owners do not have sufficient information on what the final product will have (Eastman, Teicholz, Sacks and Liston,

Disorders of the Respiratory and Circulatory System

Disorders of the Respiratory and Circulatory System Neusha Bakhtiari Aghmasjed Asthma Asthma is an allergic response which affects the bronchial tubes and can result in coughing, wheezing or breathlessness. It leads to the inflammation of airways, causing them to tighten, resulting in difficulty of breathing. Asthma is not classified as an infectious disease and it is rather an allergic condition which cause is not fully understood. It is usually triggered when the person with asthma comes in contact with: House dust mitten, animal fur, some medicines (Nsaids), pollen, tobacco smoke, exercise, stress, cold air, chest infections. When the immune system receives an inflammatory response, white blood cells release histamine and this result in the contraction of smooth circular muscle of bronchioles as well as restriction of airways. (Bronchoconstriction). More mucus is then secreted by the epithelial cells and as the result the airways are blocked even more. This condition reduces the rate of ventilation through tightened bronchioles therefore less gas exchange will take place in the alveoli and cellular respiration in the body. This condition causes breathing difficulty, coughing and wheezing as the lungs want to get rid of the built up mucus in them. There is no cure for asthma. However, there are different ways to control the condition. These methods are applied in two ways. One is to Treat/Relieve symptoms and the other is to prevent any future symptoms/attacks. The procedure includes a combination of medicines, lifestyle advice and understanding the asthma triggers. The Asthma medicines are normally given by inhaler which supplies the drug directly to airways through mouth. It is effective as it delivers the drug directly to the lungs. There are number of conditions which increase the risk of developing Asthma such as: If your parents have asthma If you are overweight If you have certain allergic conditions If you smoke or exposed to second hand smoke If you are exposed to any type of pollution or chemicals used in the industry. There are 5.4 million people in UK receiving treatment for asthma which means that 1 in 12 adults or 1 in 11 children are currently receiving treatment for their condition. In adults, asthma is more common in women than men. Assessment Criteria 1.4 Discuss disorders of the respiratory system Pulmonary Tuberculosis Pulmonary Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection that can spread in areas where large amount of blood and oxygen exist such as the lungs as well as other organs in the body. This disease is caused by a type of bacterium named Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It spreads when a person who has active TB in their lungs breaths out the germs when sneezing, laughing, coughing, singing or talking and then the other person breathe in the germs. The common symptoms of Active TB in the lungs are Cough which contains bloody mucus for two weeks or more, weakness and tiredness, sudden weight loss and loss of appetite, difficulty when breathing and chest pain or fever. TB disease can affect many organs in our body such as kidneys, bones and brain but it usually affects human lungs. There are two main stages in the process of this infectious disease. In the first stage which commonly lasts for the duration of several months, the bacteria cells attack the epithelial cells of the alveoli and bronchioles. Then they start to multiply in fibrous capsule which spreads around that area. Here the human immune system becomes stimulated and starts to resist the disease. Before this invasion is over, a few bacteria might escape into the bloodstream and develop in other body organs. If the body’s immune system is successful, this disease never develops and is known as TB infection. However, if it remains untreated it develops into the second stage where it becomes an active disease. In the second stage of this disease the germs start to multiply and destroy the epithelial cells of the lungs. In some cases, although it seems that the disease has been cured, but after a while it comes back and becomes active. This occurs mostly when the immune system of the body becomes weak. The second stage of this disease is presented through the consumption of the tissue of lungs which leads to the destruction of the alveoli. Here the person starts to manifest the symptoms such as continues cough. The risk factors that increase the possibility of a person getting infected by this disease are named below: Being in contact with/ living with an infected person. Living or working is crowded places where there is a possibility of coming in contact with people with untreated active TB. These places can be prisons, nursing homes or homeless shelters. Having a poor diet which affects the immune system of the human body. Pasteurisation of milk and cultivation of animals as this used to be a common cause of transmission of TB by Cows. Assessment Criteria 2.3 Discuss disorders of the circulatory system Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) The human heart is designed to pump the blood around the body through causing pressure. However, if the blood is pumped around the body with an increased amount of pressure than normal, the arteries and the heart itself can be seriously damaged or even it can lead to heart failure if they both stop because of the strain. High blood pressure can cause microscopic tears in the walls of the arteries which turn into scar tissue. The damaged artery can trap more plaque as the scar tissues formed in it accommodates plaques (Fat, cholesterol, etc). This causes the arteries to become narrower and as a result conditions such as Coronary Artery Disease appear. Two main conditions control the blood pressure: One is the amount of force generated when the heart pumps the blood around the body and the other is how relax or narrow the arteries are: HBP can damage the arteries: Our arteries in their healthy state are flexible strong and elastic. Its smooth internal lining is where the blood can flow freely and provide different nutrient and Oxygen gas to our tissues and organs. High blood pressure damages these cells. In the case of arteriosclerosis which causes damage to the artery by blocking it, organs such as kidneys, brain, arm and legs can be affected. These damages can lead to stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. In some cases the continues pressure of blood in already weakened artery can lead to enlargement of its walls and formation of aneurysm which can bring about life threatening complications such as internal bleeding. This complication usually takes place in our aorta. Can damage the heart: It can lead to diseases such as coronary artery disease. This happens when arteries are narrowed by coronary artery disease and do not let the blood to move freely through our arteries. It can cause chest pain, heart attack or irregular heartbeat if the blood doesn’t flow freely to the heart. It can also lead to enlarged left heart as high blood pressure leads the heart to pump blood with excess pressure around the body and causes the left ventricle to thicken. Can damage the brain: The brain has to receive blood which contains nourishing substances in order to be able to carry out its function. However, in some cases if the blood clotting takes place as the result of high blood pressure it can cause Transient ischemic attack (TIA), Stoke or Dementia. Symptoms related to HBP are headache, sleepiness or confusion. The risk factors of hypertension: Family history, obesity, smoking, type 1 2 diabetes, kidney disease, alcohol abuse, having high amount of salt in the diet, lack of physical activities (exercise) and medicines such as steroids About 10 million in the UK are diagnosed with hypertension. This means that one out of five has high blood pressure. Assessment Criteria 2.3 Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is the built up of plaques which is made up of fatty deposit around the wall of the arteries. After a while these fatty deposits of cholesterol and smooth muscle cells form Atheroma which causes the arteries to lose their elasticity as well as becoming narrow. This reduces the amount of blood flow through the arteries and blood vessels hence reducing the oxygen supply. It can take a long time until atherosclerosis is hardened and narrowed. However, when the arteries are considerably damaged, different conditions may occur such as: Thrombus: The arteries can be blocked if blood clots on the plaque made of cholesterol around its walls and as the result the blood flow will be restrained and the tissues will not receive the required nutrient. The atheroma on the walls of the arteries is covered by protective cells from the blood which flows in the artery. If this protective cell barrier is broken down, the blood will be exposed to high concentration of cholesterol on the wall of the artery and this generates the blood clotting system. This process can lead to the blockage of the artery and prevention of blood flow to the organ it supports therefore, depending on the organ; it can cause stroke, heart attack and angina. Heart failure: When the artery is narrowed, it causes damage to the muscle of the heart. High blood pressure and renal failure when the arteries which exist in the kidney are affected. Many people are affected by atherosclerosis. It is possible that it starts from the age of 20. The reason behind its occurrence is still unknown but the reasons given below can be considered as risk factors: Family history of atherosclerosis Having high amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood or low amount of HDL in the blood. High blood pressure The rate increases if the person smokes. Diabetes: In people with type 1 diabetes atherosclerosis can take many years to appear but in people with type 2 diabetes it can appear within a few years. Kidney failure Excess weight A diet with high amount of fat in it Race: People from south Asia are more likely to develop Atherosclerosis. According to the British Heart Foundation, at least 2.6 million people in the UK suffer from Atherosclerosis. Bibliography Dr. Patrick Davey, Dr Sabine Gill, Dr Carl J Brandt and Dr Steen Dalby Kristensen . (2012).Atherosclerosis (arteriosclerosis – hardening of the arteries).Available: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/atherosclerosis.htm. Last accessed December 2013. Dr. Patrick Davey, Dr Sabine Gill, Dr Carl J Brandt and Dr Steen Dalby Kristensen . (2011).High blood pressure (hypertension).Available: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/hypertension.htm. Last accessed December 2013. Elea Carey . (2012).Pulmonary Tuberculosis.Available: http://www.healthline.com/health/pulmonary-tuberculosis?toptoctest=expand. Last accessed December 2013. Jatin M. Vyas. (2012).Pulmonary tuberculosis.Available: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000077.htm. Last accessed December 2013. Kim Ann Zimmermann. (2012).Circulatory System: Facts, Function Diseases.Available: http://www.livescience.com/22486-circulatory-system.html. Last accessed December 2013. Mayo Clinic staff. (2011).High blood pressure dangers: Hypertensions effects on your body.Available: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00062. Last accessed December 2013. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2012).Asthma risk factors.Available: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/basics/risk-factors/CON-20026992. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2008).Tuberculosis (TB).Available: http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/tuberculosis.html. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2013).TB.Available: http://www.healthunit.org/infectious/tb/tb_spread.htm. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2011).Tuberculosis (TB) What Increases Your Risk.Available: http://www.webmd.com/lung/tc/tuberculosis-tb-what-increases-your-risk. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2012).Asthma Causes.Available: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/asthma/Pages/causes.aspx. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2012).Asthma.Available: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/asthma/Pages/Introduction.aspx. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2012).How we’re fighting heart disease.Available: https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-matters-online/december-january-2011-12/research/atherosclerosis.aspx. Last accessed December 2013. Unknown. (2012).Heart and Artery Damage and High Blood Pressure .Available: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/WhyBloodPressureMatters/Heart-and-Artery-Damage-and-High-Blood-Pressure_UCM_301823_Article.jsp#. Last accessed December 2013.

The Fate of a Hero in Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Fate of a Hero â€Å"For a brief while your strength is in bloom/ but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow/ illness or the sword to lay you low†¦ and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away†(1761-8). Hrothgar bestows his wisdom onto Beowulf after Beowulf has defeated Grendel and his mother. Hrothgar reminds him not to let pride overcome him for everything is eventually defeated due to the power of fate. This exemplifies a theme woven throughout the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is presented as a valiant hero, slaying beasts with his mighty strength and demonstrating the importance of the balance between wisdom and strength, but as the story unfolds Beowulf slowly loses his vitality until eventually he is defeated. This shows the power of fate has on everyone; no exceptions. This paper will demonstrate the heroic qualities of Beowulf and show his gradual decline through the approaches and outcomes of his three battles with the monsters. In the beginning of the story, Beowulf’s journey brings him to the land of the Danes where he is first intruded upon by a coast guard. Immediately upon seeing Beowulf the coast guard remarks on his impressive appearance. â€Å"Nor have I seen/ a mightier man-at-arms on this Earth/ than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken,/ he is truly noble† (247-50). A warrior named Wulfgar, impressed by Beowulf and his men, delivers his request for passage into the land of Denmark from King of the Danes, Hrothgar. His family background and reputation are familiar to Hrothgar, and he eagerly welcomes them to Denmark. Wulfgar reports back to Beowulf, â€Å"My lord, the conquering king of Danes, bids me announce that he knows you ancestry: also that he welcomes you here to Herot†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (391-3). This scene shows the importance of appearance and reputation, without which Beowulf may never have been admitted to the land of the Danes at all. Once he gains passage into Denmark, Beowulf talks with Hrothgar and his closest followers in the mead hall about how he will destroy this beast or die trying. â€Å"I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall† (634-8). His speech to Hrothgar shows Beowulf’s courage and confidence in his abilities. He also chooses not use any weapons or ar... ...e failed his people. His choice to conquer this dragon seems to be the obvious choice for a warrior. He must protect his people. But Beowulf seems so caught up in the surreal threats such as, monsters and dragons, he fails to realize the real peril he has left his people in. Beowulf is aware of his age and uneasy feeling toward his success yet he chooses to take on the dragon anyways. Although the dragon is defeated the Geat people are presented with even greater danger of the Sweds who will surely pounce on their nation. Therefore, throughout the story Beowulf is presented as the ultimate hero; demonstrating the strength of thirty men in his grasp while also using his powerful insight to avoid unnecessary conflict. His surreal strength and wisdom allow Beowulf to accomplish great feats within his time. He not only saves the land of the Danes form the terrorizing monsters but serves and protects his own people as well. Despite his heroic qualities, his humanity is proven by showing his eventual downfall; expressing that even the greatest heroes cannot live forever. Beowulf’s heroic qualities can only hold him above the rest until fate takes its toll and he too becomes defeated.

Akij Group

Akij Biri Factory Ltd. Akij Biri Factory Limited Akij Biri factory is one of the leading biri manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. It was established by late Sheikh Akij Uddin. Behind the Akij group establishment Akij Biri played a very important role. Sheikh Akij Uddin (owner of Akij Group) started the handmade biri business since 1948. Now Akij Biri has eight biri making factories in all over the country. The product is distributed under strong distribution system with a reasonable price. For that reason, the company has large number of satisfied loyal customers with strong brand image.This sector gave a real boost to the revenue of the conglomerate as well as making a substantial contribution to country’s economy. History of the company After 1947 After 1947 the founder, Akij uddin got married and started a business of small grocery shop. In that shop one of the daily products was the â€Å"Leaf Biri†. This product changed his life dramatically. The leaf biri was m ade by â€Å"Tendu Leaf† which was imported from India. During that time it had a huge demand in the countryside. In 1950 Then he thought that if he made this biri by himself then it would be more profitable for him.Then in 1950 Akij and one of his friend’s father Nitai bidhuvushon started to produce handmade biri. In a few days it became so popular. After a while there was an accident happened in his shop. But after the accident he again started to produce the biri. Within in a few days the demand of biri reached from his village to Doulatpur industrial area. In 1955 In 1955 he went to Navaran and started to live there. Beside his house he and his cousin established a factory. That time this biri became a brand name, which is Akij Biri. During the time the two major competitors were Ohab biri and Jalil biri.Akij Uddin sold his biri in low price than his competitors to increase the demand in the market. The daily demand stands to 25/30 thousands. The fame extended out to Jessore, Khulna, Khushtia, Faridpur and in other districts also. In the meantime he became involved with jute business. After 1972 Aftar the liberation war of Bangladesh again he started his biri business and with his vast struggle he was able to create the same demand of Akij biri. In 1977 the daily demand of akij biri stands to on an average 14 lakhs. In 1979 this demand became 1 crore in a day. From that time to till the akij biri is serving the maximum demand of the country.Company Profile Name of the Group| Akij Group| Company Name| Akij tobacco Company| Tobacco Experience| Since 1950| Yearly Turnover| US$ 700 Million| Chairman| Sheikh Mohiuddin| Managing Director| SK. Aziz Uddin| Directors| SK. Momin Uddin And SK. Amin Uddin| Nature of Business| Tobacco and Allied Products| Human Resources| Officers and Workers Total 25,000 plus Person| Products/Allied| Processed/Packed Tobacco, Cigerettes, Cut Rags, Expanded Cut Stem. | Brands| Akij Biri, Akij King (Hand Made Cigarettes)| Monthly Production| Akij Biri- 2000 Million sticks| Fixed Asset| US$ 85 Million|Export Market| Singapore, Middle East, Malaysia etc. | Name of the Banker| Standard Chartered, HSBC & Shonali Bank Bangladesh Ltd. | Corporate Office| Akij Chamber, 73 Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka- 1000, Bangladesh| Telephone| +8802-9560177| Email| [email  protected] org,| Web| www. akijtobacco. com| Strategy of the company Akij Biri Company’s main strategy is to keep low the price and make it available for all lower income people. The raw material of this product is very much available in Bangladesh that’s why it is easy and cost effective to produce and keep the product price low than other company in the market.Organogram of the company Chairman Managing Directors Directors Directors Audit Department Marketing Department Account Department Transport Department Finance Department Purchase Department Products & Tobaccos Tobaccos| Growing Areas| Akij Biri| Akij King| Flue Cured Virginia| K ushtia/ Jessore Belt, Chittagong Hill Areas| | | Burley Tobacco| Rangpur/ Dinajpur Belt, Manikgonj Leaf area| | | DV (Dark Varginia)Jati (cross Varginia)Motihara (Rustica)Talim ( Rustica)| Rangpur/ Dinajpur Belt| | | Competitors : Biri is a large industry in Bangladesh. There are many brands who are manufacturing biris like * Aziz Biri, Abul Biri, * Bengal Biri, * Momtaz Biri, * Raja Biri etc. At present, Akij biri is the largest biri company in Bangladesh and strong competitors to others. As Akij biri is the market leader and they have the 45% share of the market on the basis of market survey, revenue board, and internal report etc. So it means that the other biri brands are not in that position to compete with them. They are mainly considering cigarette brands as their substitutes. Their dominant regions are Tangail, Mymensingh, Kushtia including other districts of the southern part of Bangladesh. Management of Akij biriThe whole function of Akij Biri is relying on supply chain ma nagement. Akij biri first collect raw materials from their different suppliers. The main market is Rangpur. After collecting the tobacco they usually preserve it for 6 months to 1 year for better taste and quality. Akij biri always try to produce better quality product and also ensure the standard of the product. The objective behind the management efforts are: * ensure the product accessibility * continue the quality of the product * maintain low price for the customers. The management main focus is to remain the market leader for the long run.That is why it makes its products so much available and low priced. The company has also extensively marketing set up, unique and exclusive products that makes the company more strong and market leader. It has also own tobacco fields and available raw materials that make the company able to sell the product at comparative reasonable price. Production The production process of Akij biri is purely labor based. Almost every process is done by la bor. They use three different machines for dying, cutting, crashing, and mixing. The basic steps in manufacturing of Akij biri are generally as follows- * Sun cure * Washing Crashing * Mixing of different ingredients * Making paper tube * Packaging Distribution Akij biri has its own strong distribution channel. The product is available throughout the country with the help of an organized distribution channel. The finished product is delivered to the sales centers of Akij Biri. Akij Biri has in total of 12 sales centers in Bangladesh. These are Dhaka, Mymensingh, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong, Faridpur, Rajshahi, Bogra, Khulna and Jessore. The company has divided the whole area of the country into 200 territories and each of them having a single distribution point.Then it is distributed to 700,000 retail outlets throughout Bangladesh from these points. To deliver the goods to the outlets the company planned 7,000 different routes so that each route is planned to deliver a t 100 retail outlets. Sales and Marketing As Akij Biri is only for a certain group of customers, right marketing efforts are needed to capture profit. The target customer of Akij biri is low socioeconomic group of people from both urban and rural areas. The price of the biri is low for the target customers and for grab the large demand of the customers. In our country it is banned to advertise any kind of tobacco product.There are some strict rules and law to show the advertisement in TV channel, printing media etc. But the availability, brand image and low price is working as marketing of the products. So the marketing strategy mainly depends on the distribution and sales strategy. The reason behind continuing biri business of Akij group Akij biri is one of the big company and many people are working in this company and in our country it has a great demand within lower income people. At earlier period it was a small business. But now it is expanded a lot and fulfills the maximum de mand of the customers in this segment.It is their turning business to establish themselves as a group of a big company. The profit that comes from Akij biri is 10%. The Akij group mainly get the brand value for this business, then it expanded its business in different sectors but this Akij biri business changes the way of doing business in the time of late Sheikh Akij Uddin. The low income people greatly depend in this biri. It was the first initiative of doing business in Bangladesh by Akij uddin. And now many people are working there and their family members also depend on this company.And they doing business as market leader after 1950, so now it serves a large amount of customers in the market as a giant company. So they are continuing the business still now because it earns a huge profit and it has huge demand in market and the main reason is Akij group gain its huge brand name because of Akij biri.. Dhaka Tobacco Industries A Dhaka Tobacco industry is included in the Akij Grou p in late seventies when government has decided to handover the factory to private sector from the nationalized sector. Now the company is working on eight different product brands.It also makes franchise license with the Philips Morris International Company and introduce Marlboro cigarettes in Bangladesh. History of the company The founder of Akij uddin came to Dhaka with his family after the liberation war. In 1978-1979 he bought the Dhaka tobacco Industry (DTI) from the government sector in an auction. In this time his coworker Din Islam helped a lot. For the office he bought a land in industrial area, Dilkusha. After that he again bought Asian tobacco Limited. When the demand was increasing a lot, he rented Khulna Tobacco Industry and started other 10 units in the various part of the country.The Dhaka Tobacco factory is located at Morkun near Tongi and lot of investment into men and machineries has turned the factory into a modern cigarettes production unit. It employs about 120 0 people who work in a congenial atmosphere to deliver right quality to satisfy the million of smokers’ taste and needs. At present company has invested 15 million taka in this industry. Dhaka Tobacco Industry controls the 15% of the share of Bangladesh’s cigarettes with its production of quality cigarettes. Now after fulfilling the country’s demand Navy and Sheikh are exported to Middle East and Malaysia.In 2008, it introduces Marlboro cigarettes with the help of world famous Philip Morris International franchising license. Its production capacity is 150 million daily. Every day on an average it produces 120 million. Now approximately one billion cigarettes are produced per month by the company’s factory in Tongi, Gazipur. One hundred million of the Navy brand are exported quality and are sold in Dubai. Company Strategy The company produces its goods by considering the quality of the cigarettes to compete with the competitors. It also considers the price factor. Akij roup has huge raw materials suppliers on this field, so it becoms easy for the company to produce quality product with low price and grab the huge customers than the competitors. So the company strategies comply with the corporate strategy. The company always tries to compete with the multinational company also by producing quality products and also maintaining the price. The company strictly follows the ZERO DEFECTS strategy in producing the products. Products of Dhaka Tobacco Industries Product Range| Competitors| High Segment| * Castle Full Flavor * Castle Lights| 1. Benson & hedges 2. Gold leaf 3.Gudam gharam 4. Pine 5. Black 6. Pall-mall 7. Hollywood 8. Ni 9. Lincoln 10. Dunhill 11. Sunmoon 12. Star etc. | Medium segment| * Navy| | Lower Medium Segment| * Sheikh * Real| | Low Segment| * Five star * K-2 * Surma & Diamond * Red & white| | * Presently DTI enjoys more than 10%market share in the high segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 48%market share in the medium segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 80%market in the lower medium segment * Presently DTI enjoys more than 50%market in the low segment The competitors of Dhaka Tobacco Industry are the main problem.There are strong competitors in the market and who serve a large number of people. British American Tobacco is one of the strong competitors of it. BATB is providing verity of products in the market. Dhaka Tobacco also has various cigarettes for different segments. By various segments quality products it is serving huge customers and make its brand name. It is also ensure the Zero Defects product strategy to stay in the market and to compete with the rivalry. By franchising Marlboro it also create a different zone for customer to meet their need for competing with the multinational companies.By this way it compete in the market along with different rivalry and also able to get profit. The business unit also has its own raw materials. That makes the company more benefi ciary in producing the products and can able to serve different segment with different ranges products. The transportation cost also low for having own production farms. Management of the company is also very conscious about their product growth. The product is maintained the required quality and price range to compete with the competitors. These also give the company a extra benefit. That makes the company strong against its competitors.Akij Zarda Factory Limited The factory was established in 2000. It produces various flavored chewing tobacco. It basically fulfill the demand of various types of customer who use Jarda in betel leaf, cigarettes etc. The Talim and Rustica Tobacco (motihar) is mainly used in producing the Zarda. Akij Company has its own farming area where it produces Tobacco. That makes the Zarda Company more beneficiaries behind establishment of it. Products Akij zarda Factory Ltd. is producing four kinds of Zarda to fulfill the different customers in diversified tas te. Product Range| Competitors|Special Patti| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| * Hakim puri * Mokim puri * Shova * Baba * Roton| Golden Patti(surovi)| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| | Akij Zarda (Beli)| * 50 gm * 25 gm * 12. 5 gm| | Vhiza Patti| * 25 gm * 10 gm| | The Zarda Factory Limited is a small sister concern of Akij Group. It has an available raw material that helps a lot in producing Zarda. The processing system of leaf also good and the products meet a wide range of customer demand. Akij Company has its own strong brand name, which also makes the products become more popular in the market.The company’s strong rivalry is Hakimpuri zard, but Akij Zarda become able to compete with it by its quality product and price range. The main corporation philosophy is by maintaining the quality of the product also make the product available for the general people. The Zarda Company’s philosophy is also complying with the corporate philosophy. So the factory is not so much big siste r concern of the Akij Group but it makes a different place in the market by providing various types of Zarda. The Tobacco industry of this company also gives it the extra benefit in producing Zarda. Akij Match Factory Ltd.Akij Match Factory Limited Akij Match Factory Ltd. Is one of the most successful companies in Bangladesh which serves a huge number of customers in this market. It is situated at a beautiful site near Muktapur Ghat on the bank of the river Sitalakshaya. It is purely automatic match factory which produces 100% carbonized high quality safety matches. Most of the raw materials come from various parts of Bangladesh by river. The river Sitalakshaya facilitates a lot in transportation that flows near the river. History of the Company It was established in 1992 but started its operation from 1997.The main objective of this company is to produce great quality product by using the latest modern technology. It has two brands which are very much popular in the market. Dolphin is the first product of the company. Immediately after the introduction of the brand it became very popular among the customer because of high quality and intensive distribution channel in the country. After that it produces the Firebox match, which is also become very popular in the market. Now this factory has capacity to produce 30 thousands and on an average 27 thousands piece they produced daily.In the market the company provides approximately 4 lakhs 50 thousands piece matches and 3 lakhs 50 thousands Firebox in a month. Products * Dolphin * Firebox Quality of the product is very strictly controlled. Non standard products (wood layers or sticks) are discarded at every stage. But these things are not washed out. The sticks, wood layers and any other scrap wood will be used in AKIJ Particle and Hardboard Mills. The faults in the discarded matches are dealt with and these are packed manually. Rotary packers packed the mass of match and these go straightforwardly to the market.De velop up of business In that time, when Akij Company introduced Dolphin matches then in the market there was some renowned brand like projapati. So as an infant company it faced some initial problem like to grab the customer of that market and make it available to the remote area of the country etc. The company is fulfilling its own objective by producing modern quality matches. Dramatically Dolphin brand becomes so popular to the customer for its availability and quality. Now fire fox is doing the same job. It is now grab the maximum market share and customer.It is now a leading brand in the market for its quality and popularity. The matches provide great services to the customer and availability of the product make it so strong in the market. So here also company complies the strategy with the prorate strategy. Akij corporations limited It is a sister concern of Akij Group. Akij Corporation Limited is the one of the most structured distribution company in the Bangladesh. Akij Grou p is country’s one of the leading business conglomerates. In 1992 Initially Akij Corporation Limited was known as Amin Enterprise and started its operation in 1992.In 1997 In June 1997 Amin Enterprise was renamed as Aminuddin Enterprise Limited In 2001 In 2001 Aminuddin Enterprise Limited was again renamed as Akij Corporation Limited. Akij Corporation Limited is accountable for the marketing and distribution of three industries of Akij Group that is Dhaka Tobacco Industries, Akij Match Factory Limited and Akij Zarda (chewing tobacco) Factory. * Akij matches’ unused wood stick are used in paticle boar * Akij automotive by akij motor ltd * Akij tobacco to akij leaf processing unit * Akij power plant is used in akij particle board industry

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How Grapes of Wrath Relates to Our Modern Lives essays Sometimes we must do the right thing even if its not the best thing for us. This is shown in The Grapes of Wrath when Casy and Tom stand up for the strikers even though they have no personal stake what so ever in the strike. They prefer to help the people instead of sitting around, watching what happens to them. Casy and Tom are strong believers in freedom, and cannot endure themselves as they look at the strikers standing for so long to achieve their goal. They were also doing it to support themselves through the novel, trying to motivate themselves to fight for what they believe in. People today have also been in the same situations as these men. The bombing of the World Trade Center could have been avoided if we did not go and help the Iraqis with their problems. However, our President felt sympathetic towards the Iraqi people and wanted to help them all he could to achieve their own freedom. That could have been all clearly avoided, but it is human nature to feel guilt towards things that happen. Gay marriages could also have been left alone, but our President feared of the future and did what he thought was right for his country. Asiana Airlines went through the same situation that Casy and Tom went through. The airline workers all went on strike because they were not being paid fair wages. They could have let it pass and just deal with the low wages, but they wanted their freedom and deserved more than that had. There are many causes that would make me react the same way was Tom and Casy did at their strike. White-harp seals are my favorite mammals and would love to help them regain their population in the world. They are harmless creatures and poachers are killing them for their skin every day. To me, that is not an act of humanity but an act of cruelty. Humans should not be the only living creatures out in the world to set punishment on murder and what not. Animals in the animal kingdom deserve the ...

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Islam and the Challenge of Democracy Essay Example for Free

Islam and the Challenge of Democracy Essay Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl is the most prolific of the Islamic thinkers of today’s world. He is a great Islamic jurist and scholar, and is now a Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law giving the students knowledge of Islamic law, Immigration, Human Rights, International and National Security Law. His Islam and the Challenge to Democracy is the quest to find out numerous questions and varied answers in establishing the relation between the principles so enshrined in Democracy and Islamic political and religious tenants. To propound the relationship between the Islam and democracy is not a straightforward as it involves the deep and thorough understanding of the religious and political structures of the Islamic world and Democracy in its entity. Dr Khaled says that issue of democracy in the Islamic world of today is being hotly debated and there are both pro and anti versions to this issue that compete with each other and the biggest challenge before the advocators is to promote the vision of social justice and faith. The very first section only of his most profile book Islam and the Challenge of Democracy straight forwardly says that he does not believe as what other Muslim advocators say that Islam has given birth to Democracy but various elements of Democracy are very well present in the Islam and we can say that Islam too supports Democracy. In this endeavor, he defied the view of radical Islamists as well as hardened Islamophobes who say that as God is sovereign master of whole Universe, therefore the principles of Democracy do not hold true for the Islamic world. El Fadl poises that there is no doubt of the fact that the God is the sovereign power in the Universe yet this is God who has bestowed upon the humans, the power to envisage the right to form rules to govern themselves in the form of deputies or khulafa. In-fact Islam also believes in a form of government, that gives power to the people, transparency in the decision making through shura’ and there is a toleration for any disagreements and disputes arising out of any rule and rules are accountable to his subjects for any actions. El Fadl believes in the formulation of the basic ethical values, and rights for all human beings on this Earth. He focuses that Islam should formulate the laws through ijtihad on which shari‘ah doesn’t have anything to say. He emphasized on the importance of formulating the maslaha or the ‘public good’ and ahkam al-shari‘ah or ‘expediency laws’ to envisage new thought process to develop the understanding of giving equal rights to every one. He admits that any interpretation of Islamic tenets, which has been construed by Islamic religious heads or Islamic religious leaders cannot be held as mere will of the divine power or God. He vehemently opposes the formation of the Islamic state that has all the rights to form the Shari’ah, because he is fully aware of the fact that no human being can interpret the will of the God or divine power. If this is done, it will lead to misunderstanding or very limited understanding of the link or relation between the Islam and will of God and this in turn would mean trying to become equal to God and that’s the biggest sin. This will further lead to authoritative and oppressive state. He said that although Muslim jurists defined and formulated number of political systems, yet there is nothing specific mentioned in Qur’an about any form that Government wishes to take. But Qur’an does recognize social and political values which form the basis in an arena of Muslim politics. Three values that are so enshrined in the Islamic testament: â€Å"Are: pursuing justice through social cooperation and mutual assistance (Qur’an 49:13; 11:119); establishing a non-autocratic, consultative method of governance; and institutionalizing mercy and compassion in social interactions (6:12, 54; 21:107; 27:77; 29:51; 45. 20)†. (El Fadl, Democracy and Divine Sovereignty, 2) Overall Muslims should form the government that would help in endorsing these values. As he said, â€Å"Qur’an says that God has bestowed all human beings a divine power by making them viceroys of God on this earth: He says, â€Å"Remember, when your Lord said to the angels: ‘I have to place a vicegerent on earth,’ they said: ‘Will you place one there who will create disorder and shed blood, while we intone Your litanies and sanctify Your name? ’ And God said: ‘I know what you do not know’† (2:30). (El Fadl, The Case for Democracy, 3) Institutionally it can be pointed out that the ulama, or Jurists can act as interpreters of the words of God and define what is moral and what acts are immoral for the humans. Every word of them is the voice of the God. But the law of the state demands that no religion can be imposed on the working of the state because laws of the state have been formulated by the humans according to their own whims and state itself. And therefore in his own words, â€Å"Democracy is an appropriate system for Islam because it both expresses the special worth of human beings—the status of vicegerency—and at the same time deprives the state of any pretense of divinity by locating ultimate authority in the hands of the people rather than the ‘ulama†. (El Fadl, Shari‘ah and the Democratic State, 20) Finally he says that educators try to enthuse in the soul of the people the moral values of Qu’ran and induce the society to turn towards will of God. But in this world of today, if a person is morally strong but cannot imbibe by full majesty of God but still believes in the fundamental rights of individuals, still have to be answerable to the will of God. It’s not just the mirage of the El Fadl’s views but also the vision of the several scholars on the most crucial and complex subject, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy. The second section of the book consists of short responses to El Fadl’s essay by several scholars. Nader A. Hashemi says that the most prominent aspect to El Fadl is his belief that Democracy can be possible in Islamic countries, with this he proved false, the wildly held belief that Islam is not compatible to democracy. He further said that this idea has gained immense popularity after September 11. He states that biggest challenge in front of the Islamic nations is the choice that they have to make between the modernization and fanaticism and the future of the Middle East all depends on which of them will go for a longer period. John Esposito espoused that El Fadl indicates complex and multiple manner by which Qur’an can be interpreted by the religious fundamentalists, fanatics and politicians to fulfill their various social and political motives. Jeremy Waldron appreciates El Fadl’s study of the theory of the Islamic democracy. Jeremy says that El Fadl conceptualized in the most articulate way the issue of the Islamic tradition and the way in which he poises about the politics and the rule of law in the milieu of the medieval age and how these thoughts were so prevalent in the early modern thought in the Christian era. Also, how the moral and ethical values in the context of good governance had to struggle to make its place in front of scriptural authority and theocratic rule. The most enduring thing was that these ideas not only grew out of the abased environment but also actually kept on presenting itself by religious ideas and ecclesiastical practices. Muqtedar Khan talks about the â€Å"Pact of Medina†, which was signed between the Prophet and Jews and the pagans of the town. This pact he said could be utilized to give the Islamic world the model for democracy and pluralism. In this pact, all the parties were guaranteed equal rights and equal responsibilities. Echoing El Fadl, he pinpointed that Islam should be made a symbol of ethical values and moral principles and should solve all the problems from the new outlook and new democratic perspective. But Saba Mahmood criticized Fadl on the point of liberalization. She says that very concept of liberalization is full of contradictions and the limitations that follow. She further says that he focused more on rights of individuals than on community as a whole. El Fadl also ignored the human rights violations that follow liberalization, which are most popular in the most liberalized states like United States of America. Even Kevin Reinhart revokes same voice as Saba Mahmood by saying that El Fadl ignored the vital point of what the Western nations learned from their liberalized approach in their relations with the other countries including Islamic nations. The whole liberalized approach depends on polices of Westernized nations and the military interventions of the USA in Islamic countries jeopardized whole concept of democracy and liberalization. William Quandt too said that the absence of democracy in the Islamic countries do not lie in their religion perspective but the problem lies in the presence of monarchical or dictatorial regimes in these countries, which partially or all are backed by the Western powers. In William Quandt views lie the whole thrust of the problem in the Islamic countries. The requirement is the political and structural changes in the Islamic world that would bring about social and economic upliftment from the vision of democracy, which El Fadl, all the intellectuals and scholars agree won’t be welcomed by either the ruling regime or the Western allies. All in all, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy is the most thought provoking book ready to be explored and pondered in every religious and political arena of the Islamic world. WORKS CITED El Fadl, Abou Khaled. Islam and the Challenge of Democracy: Can individual rights and popular sovereignty take root in faith? Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.